


The Commander's Bath

by DisguisedasInnocent



Series: Ways to Say 'I love you' [36]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5682178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisguisedasInnocent/pseuds/DisguisedasInnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the Fall of the Mountain, Clarke Griffin and Commander Lexa are left to figure out their relationship, piece by piece. The Commander's people might be further ahead than they are however.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Commander's Bath

"Do you wish to bathe Klark?" Lexa queried, tilting her head to the side as she let her eyebrow rise into an inquiring arch. 

Clarke narrowed her eyes into a small furrow formed between her brows. "Bathe where?" 

"I have a bath," Lexa answered. The corners of her lips twitching into an amused smile. "How else would you expect me to bathe?"

"Your people cart a bath around for you?" Clarke let the incredulous words rush out of her mouth before her brain caught up with her thoughts. 

"It is against protocol for one of my warriors to view my body naked." Lexa explained shrugging her shoulders as she spoke. "I have attendants in Polis who are trained to bathe me, and apply the braids to my hair, but they are not brought to battle."

Clarke let her gaze shift to trace the braids that spread through Lexa's thick chestnut mane of hair. "You can't do those by yourself."

"No, I cannot." Lexa agreed with a dip of her chin. "One of my guards is trained to reproduce the Gona Heda braids. They are... less intricate than most, but still require a trained hand, but as my guards travel with me from Polis there is always a trained hand to apply them." 

"That sounds like a lot of trouble for hair." Clarke murmured with a frown marring her lips. 

Lexa let a quiet hum escape her lips. "Perhaps," she answered with a wave of her hand. "But, the braids are a symbol, and a symbol is about more than it's reality."

"That..." Clarke paused, pursed her lips, and nodded her head. "That makes sense." 

"You have not yet answered my question Klark," the dark haired Commander murmured. "Do you wish to bathe?"

Clarke let her eyes dart downwards to the dirt smeared across her palms, and thought of the itchy blood flakes caked to her back. "I..." she swallowed and nodded. "Yes." 

"Ryder!" Lexa stepped toward the entrance of the tent and poked her head out of the fabric panels as she called for one of her guardsmen. "Tell Brenna to bring hot water. Klark kom Skaikru wishes to bathe. We will be using my bath." 

"Sha Heda." Ryder dipped his head in understanding and acknowledgement before shifting backwards to pass on the Commander's message.

A small smile appeared on Clarke's lips as she watched Lexa potter around her tent preparing a free-standing partition wall to separate the tent into two halves—one in full view of the Commander's throne and the entryway, and the second tucked into the corner by Lexa's bed. "Are you meant to loan your bath out to other people Commander?" 

"It is the Commander's bath." Lexa answered. "Therefore, it is mine to do with as I wish." 

"So," Clarke chuckled fighting the urge to let a fond smile spread across her lips. "Technically, no." 

"There is no word against it, but yes, it is uncommon for the Commander's bath to be used by anyone other than the Commander." Lexa said flashing Clarke a reassuring smile as she stopped in front of the blonde haired woman. Lexa lifted her hand to cradle Clarke's face in her palm, she brushed her thumb across the woman's cheek, and leaned forward to press a soft kiss against her forehead. "If the people say anything, then we will figure out a response, but I do not envisage the people will mind."

Clarke leant into Lexa's palm, letting the warmth of the woman's skin sink into her cheek, before parting her lips to reply. “Why do you say that?”

“Because,” Lexa said with a soft chuckle. “I suspect most will believe that I am to take the bath with you.”

“I...” Clarke choked on the remainder of her sentence before managing to spit out, “Why?”

“You have been sharing my tent Klark.” Lexa explained, a fond smile stretching the corners of lips. “After the Mountain most of my people have come to respect you—you are Wanheda.”

“They think we're lovers.” Clarke blinked, her tone tinged with surprise. “Don't they?”

“They do.” Lexa said in agreement. 

Clarke remembered the soft touch of Lexa's lips against her own in the days before the Mountain's fall and the soft understanding in Lexa's eyes as she submitted to Clarke's wishes, “Not yet.” Clarke murmured, rolling the words off the end of her tongue once more. “But, perhaps soon.” 

A small tentative smile played across Lexa's face, and her eyes danced with affection. “We'll figure it out.” she whispered placing a second affection kiss to Clarke's forehead before stepping away from the blonde haired woman.


End file.
